Persis Indian Grill — Restaurant in Florida

Just so so My spouse and I went to a car dealership in Wesey Chapel, FL. Afterwards, we decided to have lunch in Wesley Chapel instead of waiting until we got home. At first, we went to Krate at the Grove in Wesley Chapel but nothing there really interested us. So, we went across the street to the mall area and found and Indian Restaurant called Persis Indian Grill.

The restaurant was nice and clean inside. It was also quiet inside. There were few customers in the restaurant.

The host pointed to the booth across from him meaning, “you can take that booth.” He asked if wanted water, and we both said yes so he brought two bottles of water. He pointed to this little wood block on the table with a QR Code etched on it and said you’ll need to use your phone to see the menu. What If I don’t have a phone? Do you have a regular menu?

The server arrived and I ordered chicken tandoori for my entree. He asked how spicy I wanted it, “mild, medium, hot or Indian Hot,” I told him Indian Hot. My spouse even told him that I liked my food very very spicy. I also ordered Jeera Rice since there was no mention of rice served with the tandoori chicken in the menu.

Not long after that, the food started arriving. My chicken tandoori arrived along with a cup of basmati rice with saffron. I kept looking at the rice thinking, I know how to cook jeera rice and it looks nothing like this rice. I ignored it and started to eat. I was excited to taste the Indian hot chicken tandoori. I took a bite of the tandoori chicken and rice. As I was chewing the chicken I kept waiting for the Indian hot to hit. I swallowed the food in my mouth and still no “Indian Hot” spice. I guess their Indian Hot is less than mile?

As we were eating suddenly, they brought two dishes of what I would call Jeera rice. I guess they forgot to add in the menu that the dish was served with rice. I wouldn’t have ordered the jeera rice. Meanwhile, I’m still waiting for the tandoori chicken’s Indian Hot spice to hit. Nothing! The Chicken Tandoori really was not all that. It did not taste bad but it was just a mediocre flavor. My spouse ordered Butter Chicken and he said his was also just so, so. We are not new to Indian cuisine and I know Tandoori Chicken is a very common Indian dish served in the U.S. However, this dish was just bland. We did not finish our food so we brought them home. I don’t know why. We’re probably going to just throw them out. When I got home, I ate a little more of the Tandoori Chicken in hopes that the spice would come out. Still nothing!

I was drinking unsweetened iced tea and finished the drink in my glass. The server never came around to see if I needed a refill. I even put my glass at the edge of the table in hopes he would see it as he checked on our table. Nope, he never checked. My spouse had to flag him down and raised my empty glass to signal refill and pointed to me. He finally came by to pickup my glass and refill it. Luckily, I still had that bottle of water because my food was not going down quite easily down my throat.

I was disappointed with this whole experience because I was really craving good Indian flavor with a good kick for a spice. I would not go back to Persis Indian Grill. This is a chain restaurant which makes sense why the food and service was just so, so. I would not go back to this restaurant and certainly do not believe in giving it a second chance. It should have been correct the first time and not wait until someone writes up a review. There,...

I need to start off with I'm a self-claimed foodie with a strong appreciation of food as I've both worked in restaurants and cook (occasionally) myself. Like many have mentioned here I am grateful that such an Indian restaurant finally exists here in the Tampa area. Used to have to go to Orlando to really enjoy certain Indian foods. Not anymore! The ambiance: this place has done an amazing job at decor. The Ganesh statue in the front, the table setup, the green boxwood panel wall, the various pieces setup between sections, the art hanging on the wall and from ceiling down to the choice of the dinnerware. It's beautiful! Very pleasant, upscale, modern vibe. The service: we've only gone a few times the first being ~1 month since they opened. Yet the kindness of all the servers and their willingness to accommodate our requests were top notch. I'm sure the delays in certain foods arriving/being available on the menu is something the kitchen is still learning since they were relatively new at it, but I appreciate their strong work. Btw the last few times we visited service has been excellent and even met the owner a few times 🙏🏽 very kind man. The food: why you're really here! Lemme tell you I went in with low expectations since I haven't found an Indian restaurant of my liking in Tampa yet. My search is over tho! Starting off with the Gobi Manchurian - crisp, tangy, saucey enough, and super hot (temperature) was the best Gobi Manchurian I have had in Tampa! The hot and sour veg soup - just like back in India. Cheese butter masala, kaju curry, malai kofta, garlic naan & bullet naan have been delicious. The gajar halwa so rich, perfect amount of sugar (not too sweet) but full of rich ghee definitely home made. The gulab jamun delicious as always. In summery I guarantee you won't be disappointed going here and do give them a try! I'm gonna be back since I've got a lot more of the menu I need...

Okay so where do I start?

First off, when we got to the place, the receptionist told us to wait for about 2 minutes to be seated. No big deal, right? It's a Saturday night, so we expected it to be busy. But after 5 minutes, a waiter finally gestures for us to sit "over there." Where exactly? We had no clue, so we just grabbed any free table we could find.

Then came the struggle to get the waiter's attention to take our order. We practically had to wave our arms off, but when he finally came, he scribbled down our order and vanished. We ordered vegetable noodles, tea, Persis mixed grill, tandoori bread, and vegetarian biryani.

Now, let's talk about the food. Oh boy, it was a disaster. The veggie noodles I ordered looked nothing like what was pictured on the menu. Instead of a colorful abundance of veggies, I got a sad portion of egg noodles drowning in cabbage. And the taste? Like cheap Maggi instant noodles. Disappointing, to say the least, especially for $13.

The mixed grill was even worse. We forked out $25 for charred chicken and beef, with a microscopic piece of lamb hidden in a sea of cabbage. The meat was tough as nails, almost impossible to chew. Seriously? Where's the variety? And don't even get me started on the biryani. I've made better ones at home. It lacked flavor, we couldn’t taste any spices that you’re supposed to make biriyani with, and the portion was laughable. It's like they're trying to squeeze every penny out of us.

As for the tea, served in a small carton cup. Really? Guys, TJmax is right around the corner, you can get glasses and cups from there 👋 Of course, at these prices, I expected better than a to-go cup. And don't even get me started on trying to flag down the waiter for the bill. We practically had to hunt him down ourselves to settle up.

Bottom line: unless you're in the mood for disappointment and overpaying, steer clear...